Posts Tagged ‘burlesque’

Did you know that the state of California subsidizes movie production Down Hollywood Way to the tune of $100,000,000 a year? Well, some people want the Sacramento to cut off this source of movie funding for films that depict smoking, that’s the news of the day.

Did The Social Network glamorize smoking as far as you remember? I don’t recall, but it will win a few Oscars on Sunday so it’s as good a target as any, I s’pose. Here’s the closest I could find to a still that has somebody smoking:

(Hey, why does California subsidize film production in the first place? Shouldn’t Jerry Brown or somebody cut off this kind of corporate welfare tout de suite?)

That’s the contradiction spotlighted in separate letters to the California Film Commission released today from Jonathan Fielding, MD, director of L.A. County’s Department of Public Health, and Michael Ong, MD, chair of the Tobacco Education and Research Oversight Committee, which is mandated by the legislature to guide state tobacco prevention efforts.

Dr. Fielding’s letter, dated January 14, notes that two recent Sony blockbusters, The Social Network and Burlesque, both rated PG-13 and featuring tobacco imagery, qualified for more than $12 million in California tax credits through a $100 million a year program that began its payouts on January 1, 2011. (The two films have grossed $135 million so far.) “Any benefit that tobacco-related subsidies for films might have for California’s interstate competitiveness must be balanced against proven, catastrophic ‘collateral damage’ to young audiences and long-term health costs to the state,” the letter says.

Dr. Ong’s letter, dated February 18, reports that “approximately 44 percent of adolescent smoking initiation can be attributed to exposure to onscreen smoking” and 100,000 high school students in California are currently smokers as a result of this exposure. “It is unconscionable that one state program threatens to undermine our state’s public health achievements and goals, our investment in tobacco prevention, and our savings in health care costs, particularly in a time of declining state revenues,” the letter says.

Both letters urge that future film projects with smoking be made ineligible for taxpayer subsidies in California. Similar reforms are advocated by health groups in New York, New Mexico, Ontario and British Columbia, all major sources of film production subsidies. In 2008, U.S. states granted an estimated $500 million in production subsidies to youth-rated films with smoking, rivaling the $518 million they will spend for tobacco prevention in 2011.

Also today, the Smoke Free Movies campaign based at University of California, San Francisco, published a full-page ad in Variety and The Hollywood Reporter noting that two-thirds of Oscar®-nominated films this year include smoking and forty percent of these are rated PG or PG-13. The ad centers on the new animated film Rango (Viacom: Paramount and Nickelodeon) opening March 4. Headline: “How many studio execs did it take to OK smoking in a ‘PG’ movie?” California already makes animated films ineligible for public subsidy. The ad can be seen at www.smokefreemovies.ucsf.edu/ourads/index.html.

SOURCE University of California, San Francisco, Smoke Free Movies Initiative

This fall, Dos Equis presents The Most Interesting Show in the World hosted by party aficionado, Andrew W.K. Featuring exotic acts cast from the most notorious parties and celebrations from around the world, this year’s show will deliver the excitement to 17 cities! Join Andrew W.K. with the likes of Hungarian escape artist, The Great Merlini, Persian burlesque legend, Cherie Lily, the incredible Ice Sisters and other indescribable acts of extreme entertainment!

I’ll tell you, the catch, if there is a catch, is that you and your friends might need to queue up (on the 400 block of Mason) early to get in / to get good spots. You see, I don’t know if your printed-out tickets get you in for sure. And then the opening acts probably won’t start at 8:00 PM. It’ll probably more like 9:00 PM. But then again if you show up at 9:00 PM you might not be able to get in, see what I mean? So, take the extra time to commune with your buds with some free beer.

The line early on last year in the SoMA:

Click to expand

The well-run Mezzanine in 2009:

Now, just to give you a taste from shows from the past.

It’s Melody Sweets!:

Beatboxer Butterscotch accompanying what must be the world’s largest saxamophone – a purple bass:

The Human Spring!:

There were whips and crossbows in the house, but edged weapons were the order of the day:

See below to discover if this show is coming to your town next. If you’re in Houston, Texas, you can get your ticks now. Otherwise, you’ll have to figure things out on your own. (You had to go through ShowClix to get tickets in S.F.)

[UPDATE: Now you can get tickets for all shows by clicking on TOUR DATES here and then on “RSVP” for your town. Still a few ticks left in Fun Diego, I see…]

This was the line early on going up Jessie Street betwixt 5th and 6th Streets. But everybody got in so long as they had their printed-out ticket. The Mezz at Triple Four Jessie appears to be a well run nightclub, with an aware but mellow staff that enforces rules without any unneccesary vitriol. Hurray!

Here are some more details for the Most Interesting Show in the World coming this Tuesday night. It’s being paid for by our corporate overlords at Dos Equis beer, but you still have to get your free ticket before they’re all gone.

Upscale, Offbeat Variety Show is Inspired by the Iconic ‘The Most Interesting Man in the World’ Campaign

Dos Equis today announced the return of “The Most Interesting Show in the World” tour (MISW), a one-of-a-kind, touring upscale, offbeat variety show inspired by the award-winning “The Most Interesting Man in the World” campaign. This year’s MISW will once again feature a menagerie of multinational performers, including acrobats, beatboxers, burlesque performers, contortionists, crossbow marksmen and daredevils that will excite and delight audiences in 16 cities from coast to coast.

“We had great consumer response to the launch of the Most Interesting Show in the World last year and are focused on building upon that success to create an even more dynamic and unique brand experience,” said Paul Smailes, brand director for Dos Equis. “We’re bringing together engaging new entertainers and previous fan favorites to thrill consumers and continue to reinforce Dos Equis as the champion of interesting.”

Angelo Moore, poet, spoken word performer, saxophonist and founding member of the influential punk rock band “Fishbone,” will serve as the show’s host and MC.

Beginning with San Francisco on Oct. 20, the MISW will travel from the West Coast to the East Coast and make 16 tour stops, including shows in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles and New York, enthralling audiences at upscale nightlife venues across the country with a unique blend of humor, seductiveness and visual entertainment.

New York-based Mirrorball is the experiential marketing agency in charge of the development and implementation of the multi-award winning MISW tour.

The show is written and produced by Randy Weiner and Weiner Entertainment Group. Weiner is the creator of the “The Donkey Show,” a variety program that has toured New York, London, Madrid and Seoul, as well as the Las Vegas show “Beacher’s Madhouse.”

The MISW tour will be supported by online media and local in-market promotions.

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